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CHAPTER  IV 

YALE  IN  CHINA 


71 


CHAPTER  IV 
YALE  IN  CHINA. 

A  Christian  Educational  Mission  in  the  heart  of 
the  Middle  Kingdom. 

At  the  Northfield  Summer  Conference  some  years 
ago,  Mr.  Dwight  L.  Moody,  introducing  Professor 
Henry  Drummond  to  about  five  hundred  students,  said 
“Now  do  your  best,  Drummond,  for  every  man  before 
you  counts  for  ten !”  This  statement  expresses  the 
conviction  which  moves  those  who  are  interested  in 
modern  missions  in  the  East,  that  to  influence  deeply 
and  permanently  these  ancient  civilizations,  their  future 
leaders  of  thought  and  action  must  be  moved  to  think 
and  do  the  best  of  which  they  are  capable.  Professor 
Drummond  was  addressing  selected  lives,  many  of 
whom  are  to-day  standing  in  the  front  rank  of  leader¬ 
ship  in  various  activities  and  whose  influence  is  count¬ 
ing  some  ten,  some  fifty,  and  some  an  hundred  fold. 
If,  in  an  atmosphere  permeated  with  Christian  teach¬ 
ing  and  example,  we  can  give  the  youth  of  China  the 
educational  advantages  they  are  seeking,  we  may  be 
raising  up  men,  who  in  commanding  positions,  will 
turn  the  materialistic  tide  of  national  life  in  that 
country  towards  Christian  ideals. 


73 


74 


Yale  in  China 


The  missionary  spirit  which  has  characterized  Yale 
since  the  founding  of  the  college  in  1701  was  focused 
in  1902,  when  the  Yale  Foreign  Missionary  Society  was 
organized  and  incorporated  under  the  laws  of  the  State 
of  Connecticut.  The  object  of  the  Society  as  stated 
in  the  Constitution  is  “the  permanent  support  and 
direction  of  a  mission  or  missions  on  the  foreign  fields, 
to  be  manned  and  controlled  by  Yale  men  and  to  be 
known  as  ‘The  Yale  Mission.’  ”* 

Other  American  institutions  of  learning,  through 
voluntary  and  organized  contributions,  had  supported 
individual  missionaries,  but  none  had  ever  undertaken 
the  daring  experiment  of  manning  and  supporting  a 
separate  mission  of  its  own.  The  idea  was  born  in 
the  minds  of  a  few  members  of  the  Student  Volunteer 
Bands  of  1898  and  1900  at  Yale,  who  had  attended  the 
Ecumenical  Conference  at  New  York  in  1900,  and 
that  same  summer  the  stirring  news  of  the  martyr¬ 
dom  of  Horace  T.  Pitkin  ’92,  at  the  hands  of  the 
Boxers  in  North  China  had  inspired  them  with  the 
determination  that  Yale  must  see  to  it  that  his  blood 
had  not  been  shed  in  vain.  The  wisdom  begotten  of 
experience  was  displayed  in  making  the  movement 
from  its  inception  voluntary,  non-sectarian  and  educa¬ 
tional.  As  a  voluntary  association  of  Yale  graduates 
and  undergraduates  it  does  not  commit  the  Corporation 
of  the  University  by  its  actions,  nor  draw  from  or 
encroach  upon  its  funds.  Yet  from  the  beginning,  it 
has  enjoyed  the  cooperation  and  advice  of  University 
officers.  As  a  non-sectarian  body  not  laying  stress 
upon  any  peculiar  creed,  it  has  enlisted  among  its  sup- 

*  The  Chinese  characters  “Ya-li”,  the  name  given  to  the  College 
in  China,  imply  the  College  of  the  Elegant  Proprieties. 


Yale  in  China 


75 


porters  and  in  its  corps  of  workers  men  of  different 
denominations,  has  secured  the  interest  of  the  various 
missionary  societies  and  has  commended  itself  to 
thoughtful  Chinese.  As  an  educational  enterprise 
seeking  to  meet  the  avowed  need  of  China  for  trained 
leadership,  it  has  escaped  much  of  the  suspicion  with 
which  officials  and  literati  view  evangelistic  missions 
and  has  secured  the  aid  of  men  at  home  who  cannot 
be  induced  to  subscribe  to  church  missions. 

It  was  natural  that  China  should  be  selected  as  the 
field  of  operations,  for  no  American  university  is  so 
favorably  known  there  as  is  Yale,  whose  sons  have 
long  been  devoted  to  the  welfare  of  the  Chinese 
people.  Peter  Parker  ’31,  first  secretary  of  the  Ameri¬ 
can  Legation  in  China,  and  later  American  Com¬ 
missioner  to  China,  founded  at  Canton  the  first 
hospital  in  the  empire,  which  is  still  in  existence. 
Samuel  R.  Brown  ’32  started  the  first  higher  school 
of  western  learning  in  China  and  gave  the  initial 
impulse  to  that  scholastic  movement  which  is  revolu¬ 
tionizing  the  land.  Yung  Wing  ’54  introduced  west¬ 
ern  machinery  to  the  empire  and  organized  the 
Educational  Commission  which  brought  numbers  of 
young  Chinese  to  New  England  in  the  seventies  to  be 
educated  and  return  to  serve  their  own  country.  And 
space  would  fail  if  we  should  tell  of  that  long  line  of 
Yale  pioneers  who  have  cured  diseases,  built  railways, 
written  books,  organized  commerce  and  in  varied  ways 
have  given  and  are  increasingly  giving  of  their  best  of 
mind  and  heart  to  help  China  to  help  herself. 

In  the  year  of  its  organization,  1902,  the  Society 
commissioned  the  Rev.  J.  Lawrence  Thurston  ’98  to 
go  out  to  prospect  for  a  location  for  the  proposed 


76 


Yale  in  China 


mission.  A  home  was  purchased  for  Mr.  Thurston 
and  his  wife  in  Peking  and  they  settled  there  to  learn 
the  language,  and  to  ascertain  by  contact  with  the 
missionaries  and  by  correspondence,  the  neediest,  most 
available  and  most  strategic  city.  After  less  than  a 
year  of  service,  Mr.  Thurston  developed  an  illness 
which  compelled  his  return  to  America  and  resulted 
in  his  death.  But,  before  he  passed  to  his  reward,  the 
seeds  of  interest  which  he  had  already  sown  bore  fruit 
in  a  remarkable  invitation  from  the  missionaries  of  the 
province  of  Hunan.  The  missionaries  of  ten  different 
societies  and  denominations  in  conference  at  Changsha, 
the  provincial  capital,  on  June  19  to  21,  1903,  passed 
the  following  resolution: — 

Resolved,  That  the  conference  extend  a  cordial  invitation 
to  the  Yale  University  Mission  to  establish  an  educational 
center  in  Changsha.  It  recommends  the  societies  working  in 
Hunan  to  entrust  the  higher  education  in  the  province  in 
science,  arts  and  medicine  to  this  mission,  and  also  to  work 
as  far  as  possible  in  primary  education  on  lines  that  con¬ 
form  to  the  plan  of  higher  education  that  might  be  adopted 
by  the  Yale  University  Mission.  The  conference  would  also 
recommend  the  Missions  to  consider  the  question  of  entrust¬ 
ing  theological  education  to  the  Yale  University  Mission,  but 
does  not  feel  able  to  give  any  indication  of  what  the  result 
of  such  consideration  will  be.  The  conference  heartily  wel¬ 
comes  the  prospect  of  having  University  Extension  and 
special  work  for  the  Literati  carried  on  in  Hunan. 

Among  these  missionaries  was  Dr.  Frank  A.  Keller 
’92,  of  the  China  Inland  Mission,  the  first  foreigner 
to  effect  a  permanent  residence  within  the  walls  of 
Changsha,  and  to  his  influence  coupled  with  that  of 
Rev.  G.  G.  Warren  of  the  Wesleyan  Mission  was  due 
much  of  the  intelligent  enthusiasm  with  which  the  con¬ 
ference  acted.  The  invitation  was  transmitted  to  the 


Yale  in  China 


77 


Society  through  Mr.  Thurston  and  was  carefully  con¬ 
sidered  by  the  Executive  Committee.  They  recognized 
the  strategic  importance  of  Changsha,  an  ancient  cen¬ 
ter  of  Chinese  culture  and  conservatism,  with  a  popu¬ 
lation  of  about  250,000  in  a  province  of  not  less 
than  nineteen  million  people.  The  city  is  situated 
on  the  Hsiang  river,  a  tributary  of  the  Yangtse, 
about  200  miles  south-west  of  Hankow,  and  on  the 
railway  which  will  some  day  connect  Peking,  the 
capital  in  the  north,  with  Canton,  the  largest  city  in 
China,  in  the  south.  The  committee  voted  to  accept 
the  invitation  and  on  October  6,  1903,  sent  the  follow¬ 
ing  reply  to  the  missionaries  of  Hunan.  Though  the 
document  is  lengthy  it  is  so  basic  and  historical  that 
it  demands  full  printing  in  an  article  which  attempts 
to  chronicle  all  important  steps  in  the  beginnings  of 
this  movement : 

To  The  Hunan  Missionary  Conference, 

Changsha,  China: 

Gentlemen :  We  acknowledge  with  profound  gratitude  the 
invitation  extended  to  our  Society  by  your  body  through  Mr. 
Thurston  to  unite  in  the  work  of  missions  in  China  with  the 
Protestant  organizations  now  in  Hunan,  and,  in  accepting  the 
offer  made  to  us  in  so  generous  a  spirit  of  Christian  comity, 
we  realize  with  the  honor  conferred  upon  the  Yale  Foreign 
Missionary  Society  the  grave  responsibilities  involved  in  the 
high  calling  thus  set  before  us.  The  invitation  has,  more¬ 
over,  to  our  minds  a  special  significance  as  marking  not  only 
the  ungrudging  welcome  of  your  own  members  to  a  new 
society  but  an  evident  desire  to  introduce  in  the  newly-begun 
work  in  your  province  the  element  of  cooperation  with  which 
we  cordially  sympathize  and  agree. 

In  view  of  the  fact  that  the  purpose  of  the  Yale  Foreign 
Missionary  Society  appears  to  have  been  somewhat  misun¬ 
derstood,  through  press  reports  in  China,  it  is  proper  here 
to  advise  you  of  the  policy  which  with  God’s  blessing  we 


78 


Yale  in  China 


hope  to  pursue.  While  the  Society  cannot  place  in  the  field 
so  large  a  number  of  men  as  has  been  rumored,  it  intends 
eventually  to  send  out  a  sufficient  body  of  well-equipped 
instructors  to  man  any  educational  institution  it  may  estab¬ 
lish.  It  must  also  be  definitely  understood  that  the  Society, 
though  including  officers  of  the  university  and  of  its  several 
faculties  among  its  most  active  and  devoted  members,  is  not 
formed  or  operated  by  Yale  University  as  such,  but  is  a  vol¬ 
untary  association  of  its  graduates. 

The  aim  of  the  Society  is  twofold:  To  establish  in  our 
university  an  organization  capable  of  enlisting  in  behalf  of 
a  Christian  and  philanthropic  enterprise  the  loyal  interest  of 
its  members  and  alumni;  and 

To  direct  this  interest  especially  to  the  welfare  of  China. 

From  this  it  follows  that  the  Society  must  be  without 
denominational  bias,  as  our  students  here  belong  to  all  com¬ 
munions;  it  is  also  our  supreme  desire  to  only  add  a  new 
force  to  those  already  laboring  for  the  promotion  of  Chris¬ 
tianity  in  China,  not  to  conflict  with  agencies  now  at  work 
or  interfere  with  plans  contemplated  by  others.  It  is  a  con¬ 
structive  not  a  destructive  purpose  that  actuates  us. 

With  these  ideas  in  mind  it  has  seemed  reasonable  from 
the  outset  of  our  undertaking  to  expect  some  success  in 
devoting  our  endeavors  chiefly  to  teaching.  A  college  com¬ 
munity  naturally  understands  and  sympathizes  with  the 
needs  of  another  college  and  can  supply  its  intellectual 
requirements. 

In  establishing  its  institution  of  learning  in  China  the 
intentions  of  this  Society  are:  (i)  To  furnish  a  company 
of  missionaries  who  are  strongly  and  sincerely  Christian  as 
well  as  men  technically  fitted  for  educational  work.  (2)  To 
assist  China  in  her  great  need  by  raising  up  through  such 
an  institution  a  body  of  native  students  acquainted  with  the 
truths  and  accepting  the  spirit  of  Christianity;  by  training 
these  men  as  effectively  as  possible  in  scientific  and  advanced 
studies  to  become  leaders  in  their  own  country;  and  by 
reproducing  in  the  Far  East  the  wholesome  moral  and  social 
influences  of  an  American  college  community.  (3)  To 
cooperate  with  the  missionaries  of  other  societies  in  unifying 
and  making  effective  the  Christian  schools  of  the  province 


Yale  in  China 


79 


so  that  they  may  be  of  the  highest  service  to  the  church  and 
may  become  an  object  lesson  to  the  government  schools  in 
the  country. 

To  outline  such  a  scheme  for  higher  education,  although 
our  ultimate  “university”  purpose  is  clear,  does  not  imply 
the  expectation  of  immediately  accomplishing  great  things. 
We  realize  perfectly  that  it  requires  years  to  equip  an  edu¬ 
cational  establishment  of  this  sort  and  to  prepare  its  teach¬ 
ers,  but  for  our  own  sakes — for  the  reflex  influence  of  the 
work  undertaken  as  a  broadening  and  deepening  factor  in 
the  university  at  home — and  for  the  cause  of  Christ  and 
civilization,  we  are  determined  to  persevere. 

It  is  our  earnest  hope  that  the  missionary  groups  in  Hunan 
and  others  so  far  as  possible,  will  concur  in  this  conception 
of  the  work  we  are  asked  to  take  up.  We  need  their  counsels 
and  prayers,  and  we  entreat  also  their  patience  in  our  inex¬ 
perience  and  during  the  inoperative  years  when  language- 
study  and  the  slow  work  of  foundation-building  must  be 
our  main  task. 

The  success  of  such  an  undertaking  depends  largely 
upon  the  ability  and  consecration  of  the  working  staff. 
The  representatives  sent  out  have  fully  justified  the 
confidence  reposed  in  them.  The  first  of  these,  the 
Rev.  Brownell  Gage  ’98,  and  his  wife,  a  fully  qualified 
physician,  arrived  in  China  in  March,  1904.  They 
spent  the  first  year  in  the  study  of  Chinese  at  Hankow 
and  in  laying  plans  for  the  securing  of  property  for 
the  school  at  Changsha.  Mr.  Gage  has  served  the 
mission  as  chairman,  treasurer,  dean  of  the  Collegiate 
department  and  chairman  of  the  Governing  board. 
While  on  furlough  in  1910-11,  he  secured  his  M.A. 
degree  from  Yale  in  the  department  of  education, 
finished  work  at  Union  Theological  Seminary,  for 
which  he  received  his  B.D.  and  was  ordained  to  the 
ministry  at  a  service  in  Battell  Chapel.  The  Rev. 
Warren  B.  Seabury  ’00  joined  the  Gages  at  Hankow 


8o 


Yale  in  China 


in  November,  1904,  and  in  March,  1905,  the  three 
moved  to  Changsha  where,  until  a  permanent  habita¬ 
tion  could  be  secured,  they  rented  quarters  in  the 
buildings  of  the  Norwegian  Mission.  The  personal 
charm  and  unusual  ability  of  Seabury  made  a  deep 
impression  upon  official  Chinese  and  his  loss  to  the 
mission  by  drowning,  in  August,  1907,  was  a  calamity. 

The  passing  of  these  pioneers,  Thurston  and  Sea¬ 
bury,  at  a  time  when  their  aid  seemed  indispensable, 
was  a  severe  blow,  but  their  lives  are  yet  speaking  to 
generations  of  Yale  men  in  the  tablets  placed  in 
Memorial  Hall,  in  New  Haven,  in  their  biographies* 
and  in  their  memories  at  Changsha,  which  are  bracing 
rather  than  depressing.  Dr.  Edward  H.  Hume  ’97  left 
medical  work  in  India  to  accept  Yale’s  call,  and  arrived 
at  Changsha  in  July,  1905.  His  whole-souled  devotion 
to  the  practice  and  teaching  of  medicine  as  a  Christian 
physician  and  his  rare  linguistic  gifts  have  made  him 
a  marked  man  in  China.  In  recognition  of  his  ser¬ 
vices,  he  was  granted  the  honorary  degree  of  M.A.  at 
the  Yale  commencement  in  1912.  In  October,  1906, 
the  Rev.  William  J.  Hail,  B.D.  ’04,  M.A.  ’06,  a  son 
of  missionary  parents  in  Japan,  where  the  name  of 
Hail  is  as  prominent  in  missionary  circles  as  that  of 
Hume  in  India,  arrived  at  Changsha.  Mr.  Hail  has 
served  the  mission  in  the  offices  of  registrar,  bursar, 
dean  of  the  preparatory  department  and  treasurer,  in 
addition  to  carrying,  like  all  other  teachers,  a  full 
schedule  of  class  work.  He  has  also  led  the  students 
in  physical  drill  and  given  some  training  in  running 

*  “A  Life  with  a  Purpose”  (a  memorial  of  John  Lawrence 
Thurston),  by  H.  B.  Wright,  New  York,  Fleming  H.  Revell  Co.,  1908. 

“The  Vision  of  a  Short  Life”  (a  memorial  of  Warren  Bartlett 
Seabury),  by  Rev.  J.  B.  Seabury,  Cambridge,  Riverside  Press,  1909. 


Yale  in  China 


81 


and  thus  encouraged  physical  development  and  clean 
sport,  an  essential  part  of  education  for  Orientals  unac¬ 
customed  to  the  benefits  of  bodily  exercise.  In  Novem¬ 
ber,  1908,  Miss  Nina  D.  Gage,  a  sister  of  Brownell 
Gage  ’98,  assumed  the  position  of  Supervising  Nurse. 
Miss  Gage  is  a  B.A.  ’05  of  Wellesley,  and  R.N.  ’08  of 
the  University  of  the  State  of  New  York.  She 
received  her  professional  training  in  the  Roosevelt 
Hospital  in  New  York.  Dickson  H.  Leavens,  B.A. 
’09,  arrived  in  Changsha  in  September,  1909,  on 
a  three-year  appointment  with  the  understanding 
that  if  recommended  by  the  Mission  he  should  be 
permanently  appointed  and  should  return  to  America 
at  the  end  of  that  period  for  further  preparation.  His 
salary  during  the  three  years  was  generously  provided 
by  a  classmate.  Mr.  Leavens’  services  proved  indis¬ 
pensable,  and  at  the  conclusion  of  his  work  in  the 
Yale  and  Columbia  Graduate  Schools  after  receiving 
the  M.A.  degree  in  Mathematics  in  1915  at  Yale  he 
resumed  his  position  at  Changsha. 

In  Fu-Chun  Yen,  Yale  ’09  M.D.,  the  mission 
secured  its  first  American-trained  Chinese.  Dr.  Yen 
was  educated  in  the  preparatory  and  medical  depart¬ 
ments  of  St.  John’s  College,  Shanghai,  until  1903. 
Subsequently,  he  had  valuable  professional  experi¬ 
ence  among  his  countrymen  in  the  Transvaal.  He 
took  the  full  course  in  medicine  at  the  Yale  Medical 
School,  graduating  with  distinction,  and,  after  accept¬ 
ing  an  appointment  to  the  Yale  Mission  Hospital, 
he  proceeded  to  China,  via  England  where  he  took 
work  in  tropical  medicine  for  which  he  received 
the  degree  of  D.T.M.  (Doctor  of  Tropical  Medi¬ 
cine)  from  the  University  of  Liverpool  in  1909.  Dr. 


82 


Yale  in  China 


Yen  arrived  at  Changsha  in  February,  1910,  and 
during  the  lengthened  furlough  of  Dr.  Hume,  from 
the  summer  of  1911  to  the  fall  of  1913,  he  was  in 
charge  of  the  hospital.  By  the  appointment  of  Dr. 
Yen  the  mission  initiated  the  far-reaching  precedent 
of  receiving  on  terms  of  equality  Chinese  colleagues 
who  have  had  adequate  foreign  training,  and  intro¬ 
duced  the  kind  of  leader  to  whom,  in  the  fulness  of 
time,  the  Yale  enterprise  will  be  entrusted.  At  the 
annual  meeting  of  the  Society  in  1909,  before  return¬ 
ing  to  his  native  land,  Dr.  Yen  gave  his  apologia  for 
devoting  his  life  to  this  work.  He  said: 

My  firm  belief  is  that  China  must  have  Christianity.  No 
matter  how  fast  she  is  able  to  learn  the  sciences  and  the  mod¬ 
ern  inventions  of  the  West  and  to  utilize  them  in  the  develop¬ 
ment  of  the  country,  if  the  hearts  of  the  people  remain 
unchanged,  China  cannot  be  transformed  into  a  truly  great 
nation.  The  work  of  purifying  the  hearts  of  the  people 
must  be  done  through  Christianity.  The  quickest  and  the 
most  efficient  way  of  Christianizing  her  will  be  through  edu¬ 
cation.  It  will  be  through  just  such  institutions  of  learning 
as  the  Yale  College  in  Changsha. 

Dr.  Kenneth  S.  Latourette  (B.S.  McMinnville  ’04, 
and  Yale  B.A.  ’06,  M.A.  ’07,  Ph.D.,  ’09)  joined  the 
staff  at  Changsha  in  August  1910.  Upon  the  earnest 
solicitation  of  officials  of  the  Student  Volunteer  Move¬ 
ment,  the  Executive  Committee  of  Yale  in  China 
reluctantly  allowed  him  to  spend  the  year  previous  to 
his  going  to  the  field  in  traveling  through  the  United 
States  and  Canada  in  the  interests  of  the  Student 
Volunteer  Movement.  The  effects  of  application  to 
Chinese  studies,  climatic  change,  and  duties  in 
the  school  so  affected  his  health  that,  after  an  illness 
in  China,  he  was  obliged  to  return  to  America  to  recu- 


Yale  in  China 


•  83 

perate  in  the  spring  of  1912  and  has  up  to  the  present 
been  unable  to  resume  his  post.  The  Rev.  Edwin 
D.  Harvey  (Yale  B.A.  ’07,  M.A.  ’09,  B.D.  To)  was 
ordained  to  the  Christian  ministry,  May  12,  1910,  in 
Battell  Chapel  by  an  interdenominational  council  called 
by  the  Church  of  Christ  in  Yale  University.  So  far  as 
is  known,  it  was  the  first  interdenominational  ordina¬ 
tion  to  take  place  in  America.  After  a  year's  study  in 
Germany  under  the  direction  of  the  Executive  Com¬ 
mittee,  Mr.  Harvey  joined  the  staff  at  Changsha  in 
October,  1911,  and  has  served  the  college  as  secretary 
and  librarian  for  some  years.  James  W.  Williams 
(B.A.  Yale  ’08,  M.A.  Trinity  College  1915)  accepted  a 
permanent  appointment  in  October,  1912,  with  the 
understanding  that,  after  completing  a  teaching 
engagement  at  the  Choate  School,  he  should  pursue 
further  graduate  studies  in  America.  The  multi¬ 
plying  duties  of  the  home  office,  however,  made  it 
necessary  to  draft  Mr.  Williams  for  executive  ser¬ 
vice  in  1913-14.  With  the  appointment  of  Mr.  Amos 
P.  Wilder  ’84,  as  Executive  officer,  Mr.  Williams  was 
relieved  and  began  his  specialized  preparation  for 
teaching  in  the  fall  of  1914. 

Very  truly  does  Dean  Gage  report  of  the  faculty  that 

our  service  to  China  has  been  rendered  and  our  reputation 
made  by  the  quality  of  our  teaching  force.  The  brightest 
star  on  our  eastern  horizon  is  the  fact  that  there  is  some¬ 
thing  in  the  purpose  and  work  of  the  institution  which  grips 
the  interest  of  the  kind  of  men  we  need.  The  best  type  of 
men  at  Yale  feel  the  appeal  of  the  work  we  are  doing  and  are 
willing  to  come  out  here.  When  they  come  for  a  short 
period,  they  are  eager  to  remain  and  invest  their  lives  here. 

The  first  of  those  to  reinforce  the  permanent  staff 
by  a  temporary  residence  was  Dr.  William  H.  Sallmon 


84 


Yale  in  China 


’94,  who  volunteered  to  relieve  the  strain  at  Changsha 
caused  by  the  growth  of  the  school  and  the  loss  of 
Warren  Seabury.  He  arrived  there  in  the  fall  of 
1908,  and  returned  to  America  in  the  summer  of  1909 
where  he  became  Secretary  of  the  Executive  Com¬ 
mittee.*  During  part  of  Dr.  Hume’s  furlough  in 
America,  from  September  1911  to  April  1913,  Dr. 
Herman  C.  Little,  M.D.  Yale  ’10,  assisted  Dr.  Yen  at 
the  hospital.  Dr.  Little  assumed  charge  of  the  foreign 
patients  and  of  the  greater  number  of  operations  and 
helped  in  the  wards  and  clinics.  Harold  V.  Smith, 
B.A.  ’12,  and  Oliver  C.  Morse  Jr.,  B.A.  To,  accepted 
appointments,  the  former  for  one  year  and  the  latter 
for  two  years,  with  a  view  to  permanent  appoint¬ 
ment,  and  arrived  at  Changsha  in  September,  1912. 
Both  came  back  to  America  for  further  prepara¬ 
tion  when  their  terms  expired;  the  former  return¬ 
ing  to'  the  staff  as  instructor  in  geology  in  the  fall 
of  1916.  Paul  S.  Achilles,  B.A.  ’13,  and  S.  Ells¬ 
worth  Grumman,  B.A.  ’13,  accepted  one  year  appoint¬ 
ments  and  taught  at  the  school  during  1913-14. 
It  was  Mr.  Achilles  who  first  effectively  introduced 
modern  methods  and  ideas  of  athletics.  In  the 
same  year,  the  medical  staff  was  strengthened  by 
Dr.  Alfred  C.  Reed  (B.L.  Pomona  ’06,  M.D.  Belle¬ 
vue  Medical  College  ’io),  to  serve  as  physician  for 
one  year,  and  Miss  Beatrice  Farnsworth  (R.N.  Johns 
Hopkins  Training  School  T2),  to  serve  as  nurse  for 
two  years.  Four  recruits,  Donald  P.  Frary,  Robert 
S.  Platt,  Robert  M.  Scotten  of  the  class  of  1914,  and 
Harold  W.  Smith  1914  S.  joined  the  ranks  in  that  year. 

*  Mr.  Sallmon  filled  this  position  with  great  effectiveness  until  he 
resigned  in  1914,  owing  to  ill  health. 


Yale  in  China 


85 


Their  places  were  taken  upon  their  retiring  in  the 
following  year  by  F.  L.  Chang  1913  S.,  M.F.  1915,  a 
trained  forestry  specialist,  and  A.  D.  Fisken  and  J.  D. 
Robb,  both  of  the  Class  of  1915.  Dr.  D.  T.  Davidson 
(B.A.  Yale  ’09,  M.D.  Univ.  of  Penn.  T3,  D.P.H.  T4) 
and  Mrs.  Davidson  (M.S.  Women’s  College,  Phila¬ 
delphia,  ’13)  reached  Changsha  in  March,  1916.  Dr. 
J.  R.  B.  Branch  (B.A.  Johns  Hopkins  ’04,  M.D.  ’08) 
and  Mrs.  Branch  reached  Changsha  December  25, 
1916.  The  following  under  appointment  sailed  in  the 
fall  of  1916:  James  W.  Williams,  B.A.  ’08,  M.A.  T5, 
wife  and  two  children;  R.  W.  Powell  (B.S.  Michigan 
Ti,  C.E.  Cornell  ’14,  and  Ph.B.  Yale  T6)  and  wife; 
Harold  V.  Smith  (B.A.  ’12,  M.A.  T6)  and  wife; 
H.  J.  Dunham  (ex-College  of  New  York)  who  goes 
to  be  Business  Agent;  Miss  Marguerite  D.  Warfield 
(Johns  Hopkins  Training  School  for  Nurses  ’14)  ; 
Miss  Gertrude  P.  Carter  (Hartford,  Conn.,  General 
Hospital  ’15,  and  Johns  Hopkins  Training  School)  ; 
Nelson  M.  Graves  T6  S. ;  John  D.  Shove  T6;  Russell 
H.  Lucas  T 6. 

Honorable  mention  should  be  accorded  to  Mrs.  Law¬ 
rence  Thurston,  who  returned  to  China  in  1906  and  did 
an  instructor’s  work  in  teaching  sciences  in  the  school 
until  her  resignation  in  1911  to  accept  the  position  of 
prospective  head  of  the  Woman’s  department  of  Nan¬ 
king  University;  to  Mrs.  Gage,  a  graduate  of  the 
Woman’s  Medical  College  of  Philadelphia,  for  assist¬ 
ance  in  clinics  and  attendance  upon  many  female 
patients,  whom  it  might  have  been  otherwise  hard  to 
treat;  to  Mrs.  Hume,  who  rendered  valuable  assist¬ 
ance  with  Mrs.  Thurston  in  the  work  of  the  nurses, 
the  care  of  supplies  and  in  social  and  religious  efforts 


86 


Yale  in  China 


among  native  women ;  and  to  other  wives  of  the 
faculty,  who  have  generously  volunteered  time  and 
services  without  money  and  without  price. 

These  workers  have  not  thrust  themselves  upon  an 
unwilling  community.  They  have  received  many  evi¬ 
dences  of  appreciation  from  the  literati  and  the 
Provincial  Government.  They  have  recognized  the 
opportunity  for  service  to  a  great  nation  at  the  time 
of  its  new  birth,  “the  greatest  opportunity,”  says  Dr. 
Arthur  H.  Smith,  “any  university  ever  had  for  doing 
a  matchless  work  for  humanity.”  They  have  assem¬ 
bled  a  corps  of  native  assistants,  who,  in  school  and 
hospital  and  Christian  homes,  have  constantly  before 
them  an  exemplification  of  the  spirit  of  Christianity 
and  who,  in  that  atmosphere,  are  rendering  devoted 
service. 

The  faculty  and  their  families  have  been  encouraged 
and  the  work  has  received  impetus  from  time  to  time 
by  the  visits  of  Yale  men.  In  1904,  Professor  Harlan 
P.  Beach,  of  the  Executive  Committee,  and  the  Rev. 
Henry  W.  Luce  ’92,  together  with  Dr.  Frank  A. 
Keller  ’92,  and  Dean  Gage,  were  received  by  the  Pro¬ 
vincial  Governor.  In  the  spring  of  1905,  during  the 
visit  of  Mr.  James  B.  Reynolds  ’84,  a  notable  series 
of  interviews  was  granted  to  the  Yale  missionaries, 
when  Messrs.  Reynolds,  Gage  and  Seabury  were 
received  by  Tuan  Fang,  a  famous  and  scholarly 
Manchu  Governor  of  Hunan,  afterward  murdered  in 
the  Revolution  of  1911.  The  Governor  proffered  good 
advice,  especially  as  to  the  need  of  a  broad  rather  than 
a  specialized  training.  While  visiting  New  Haven 
the  following  year  as  Imperial  Commissioner  of  China, 
His  Excellency  expressed  his  good-will  in  these  words : 


Yale  in  China 


87 


I  am  particularly  interested  to  see  Old  Yale  the  tree  from 
which  springs  the  New  Yale  in  my  province,  Hunan.  All  of 
the  officials  in  China,  including  myself,  look  upon  this  project 
most  favorably,  and  we  will  do  all  in  our  power  to  further 
the  work. 

Making  due  allowance  for  Oriental  courtesy,  this 
statement  was  prophetic  of  a  changed  attitude  from 
hostility  to  toleration,  or  even  friendliness,  on  the 
part  of  the  official  class,  and  as  go  the  high  officials 
in  the  Orient,  so  go  the  people,  for  it  is  profoundly 
true  in  China  according  to  the  proverb,  or  at  least  it 
was  under  the  old  regime,  that  “Great  men  are 
the  mirrors  by  which  the  people  dress  themselves.’* 
Regarding  his  visit  to  Changsha,  Mr.  Reynolds  wrote : 

I  had  long  conferences  with  Gage  and  Seabury  and  wish  that 
all  the  other  trustees  of  the  Society  could  plan  for  a  similar 
visit.  I  am  sure  that  they  would  without  exception  leave 
the  place  as  enthusiastic  as  I  am  regarding  our  opportunity 
and  the  spirit  and  ability  of  the  men  we  have  chosen  to 
undertake  the  work. 

In  June,  1907,  Professor  Beach  attended  the  first 
commencement  exercises  of  the  Collegiate  School  and 
delivered  an  address  in  which  he  explained  the  reasons 
for  bringing  Western  learning  to  the  heart  of  China. 
In  November,  1907,  Mr.  Amos  P.  Wilder  ’84,  then 
U.  S.  Consul  General  at  Hong  Kong,  while  journeying 
from  Hankow  to  Canton  before  the  days  of  railroads 
in  that  region,  paid  a  visit  to  Changsha,  which  he 
reported  in  glowing  terms : 

It  is  Yale  at  her  best,  this  foundation  in  Hunan  .... 
Some  day  there’ll  be  five  hundred  and  then  a  thousand,  and 
Yale  will  mean  even  more  at  Peking  and  on  the  Seats  of  the 
Mighty,  and  the  old  saints  and  sages  in  Yale’s  coronation  list 
will  lie  silent  in  their  graves  as  if  this  potential  thing  did  not 
trace  back  to  their  dreams  and  faith. 


88 


Yale  in  China 


In  1.910,  Mr.  Harold  Phelps  Stokes  ’09,  of  the  New 
York  Evening  Post,  and  Mr.  Allen  T.  Klots  ’09,  on 
their  way  around  the  world,  pushed  past  modern 
China  to  Changsha,  brought  inspiration  and  took  away 
golden  opinions  as  it  is  hoped  increasing  numbers  of 
Yale  travelers  and  globe-circlers  may  do. 

The  Gages  and  Seabury  had  reached  Changsha  in 
March,  1905.  It  was  felt  that,  though  the  study  of 
Chinese  necessarily  prevented  them  from  teaching, 
their  presence  in  the  city  would  accustom  the  inhabit¬ 
ants  to  tolerate  foreigners  and  would,  in  the  course  of 
time,  pave  the  way  for  securing  property.  The  mis¬ 
sionaries  devoted  themselves  immediately  to  the  ardu¬ 
ous  and  complicated  process  of  finding  and  securing  a 
suitable  site  and  property.  Negotiations  through 
mediaries  and  intermediaries,  inscrutable  to  the  Occi¬ 
dental  mind,  resulted  in  the  conveyance  of  a  plot  of 
land  two  or  three  miles  south  of  the  city  walls,  which 
seemed  at  the  time  to  be  the  only  available  site.  Later 
developments  made  it  seem  advantageous  to  abandon 
the  idea  of  building  at  this  place  and  to  seek  property 
north  of  the  city.  Meanwhile,  the  Society  received 
from  the  class  of  1848  a  gift  of  $2,000  in  memory  of 
the  Rev.  Henry  Blodget,  ’48,  who  spent  forty  years  of 
his  life  in  North  China,  and  in  August  1904  the  British 
Minister  handed  to  the  Mission  a  fund  of  Tls.  38,357 
($24,345.78),  from  an  indemnity  payment  (known  as 
the  Chen  Chou  Fund)  obtained  from  the  Chinese  Gov¬ 
ernment  for  the  murder  of  British  subjects  at  Chen 
Chou;  the  Yale  Mission,  because  of  its  educational 
character  and  interdenominational  standing  being  in  a 
position  to  receive  the  money  when  others  could  not.* 

*  Consul  General  G.  M.  Playfair  wrote  under  date  of  August  31, 
1904:  “This  sum  you  will  use  exclusively  for  the  benefit  of  the 


Yale  in  China 


89 


A  gift  of  $10,000  gold  from  a  Yale  graduate  made  pos¬ 
sible  the  purchase  in  August  1906  of  buildings  and 
land  on  the  main  thoroughfare  (West  Monument 
Street),  in  the  center  of  Changsha,  for  Tls.  10,700. 
The  rambling  buildings  were  altered  to  contain  dormi¬ 
tories,  classrooms  and  chapel,  and  residential  quarters 
for  the  faculty.  Here  in  1906,  on  the  1st  of  the  10th 
Chinese  moon,  i.  e.  on  November  16,  the  opening  ses¬ 
sion  of  the  school  was  held  by  Messrs.  Seabury,  Hume 
and  Hail,  and  three  Chinese  teachers,  Mr.  Lin,  Mr. 
Tsai,  and  Mr.  Kao.  The  thirty  students  were  selected 
by  competitive  examination  from  fifty  applicants,  the 
required  subjects  being  Chinese  classics,  history  and 
literature,  arithmetic  and  geography;  also  as  optional 
subjects,  English,  history  and  natural  science.  Dr. 
Hume  wrote  of  the  opening  as  follows: 

At  eight  o'clock  on  Friday  morning,  November  16,  the 
exercises  of  the  school  were  commenced  by  prayers.  It  was 
a  very  simple  service  externally  viewed,  but  it  was  full  of 
great  meaning  to  every  one  who  is  connected  with  or 
interested  in  the  progress  of  the  work  of  the  Yale  Mission. 
The  exercises  were  conducted  by  Seabury.  We  were  able 
to  sing  a  hymn,  Mrs.  Hume  officiating  at  the  little  organ. 
After  prayers,  each  member  of  the  Chinese  and  American 
teaching  staff  said  a  few  words,  and  we  were  ready  for  actual 
work. 

Thus  Ya-li  started  with  a  larger  membership  and 
faculty  than  Mother  Yale  had  at  her  beginning  two 
hundred  years  ago. 

The  first  catalog,  1906-07,  a  modest  pamphlet  of 


inhabitants  of  the  province  of  Hunan.  You  will  render  an  account 
of  your  disposal  of  this  money  to  His  Majesty’s  Government,  and  you 
will  make  known  to  the  people  among  whom  your  work  will  be 
carried  on.  the  circumstances  of  this  gift,  as  indicated  in  my  despatch 
of  July  24.” 


go 


Yale  in  China 


sixteen  pages,  states  that  the  purpose  and  aim  of  the 
institution  is 

to  instruct  Chinese  students  in  all  branches  of  modern  science 
in  the  most  complete  way  ....  to  broaden  the  learning  of 
its  students,  build  up  character  and  train  in  loyalty  to  the 
Empire  and  patriotism  to  the  Nation. 

The  preparatory  department  is  first  established;  the  other 
departments  will  be  inaugurated  as  students  appear  who  are 
fitted  to  attend  them. 

In  the  five-year  preparatory  course  are  English, 
mathematics,  chemistry,  physics,  geography,  drawing, 
European  and  Asiatic  history  and  Chinese  classics  tak¬ 
ing  the  places  of  Greek  and  Latin.  Thirty-five  dollars 
(Mexican)  was  charged  each  student  for  each  of  the 
two  terms  for  board,  tuition  and  uniform.  The  toler¬ 
ant  Christian  position  of  the  institution  is  expressed 
in  these  words : 

All  the  Trustees  in  America,  as  well  as  the  American  resi¬ 
dent  instructors,  are  believers  in  Christian  truth,  and  they 
wish  to  make  the  College  an  illustration  of  true  Christianity. 
Thus  the  College  proposes  to  keep  Sunday  and  hold  religious 
exercises  thereon;  nevertheless,  its  students  have  full  liberty 
to  follow  their  own  religion. 

There  is  a  suggestion  of  Alma  Mater  in  required 
attendance  at  daily  chapel  at  eight  o’clock  and  at 
Sunday  worship,  and  the  century-old  New  Haven 
custom  of  bowing  the  President  out  is  retained  for 
state  occasions  when  “students  shall  bow  three  times 
to  the  faculty  members.” 

The  timeliness  in  opening  the  Yale  School  was  thus 
described  by  Professor  Beach  : 

The  work  of  the  Yale  institution  has  begun  at  a  critical 
point  in  China’s  educational  development.  The  great  exodus 
of  her  students  to  Japan  has  proved  disappointing.  Before 


Yale  in  China 


91 


any  study  of  sciences  or  other  branches  can  be  begun  the 
Japanese  language  must  be  mastered  as  the  medium  through 
which  instruction  is  given.  This  involves  a  great  loss  of  time 
and  has  led  many  students  to  return  within  a  year.  This 
short  sojourn  there  has  not  sufficed  to  give  them  any  ade¬ 
quate  knowledge  of  Western  learning.  On  the  other  hand, 
it  has  plunged  them  into  a  veritable  maelstrom  of  temptation 
to  the  grossest  vices  and  has  subjected  them  to  the  influence 
of  radical  or  even  revolutionary  Chinese  reformers,  so  that 
they  return  home  with  little  useful  knowledge  and  much 
that  is  harmful  to  personal  and  national  life. 

The  desire  for  western  learning  which  swept  over 
China  about  this  time  took  thirteen  thousand  of  her 
young  men  to  Japan  for  study  in  1907,  but  the  influ¬ 
ences  mentioned  by  Professor  Beach  had  reduced  the 
number  to  five  thousand  in  1909,  and  subsequent 
events  withdrew  nearly  all  of  these. 

The  two-storied  buildings  within  the  city  “com¬ 
pound”  where  the  students  were  lodged,  fed  and 
taught  and  part  of  the  faculty  lived  were  rebuilt  and 
enlarged  from  time  to  time  until  at  the  end  of  five 
years  the  number  under  instruction  had  doubled  and 
in  eight  years  it  had  trebled,  totalling  more  than  a 
hundred  with  applicants  in  greater  number  than  could 
be  received.  The  premises  were  always  inadequate 
and  not  entirely  sanitary  and  gave  grave  concern  to 
the  Executive  Committee  for  the  health  of  the  stu¬ 
dents,  the  faculty  families  and  especially  their  little 
children.  The  pressure  for  more  commodious  quar¬ 
ters  outside  the  city  walls  where  more  room  and  better 
ventilation  could  be  secured  than  within  the  crowded 
city  was  emphasized  by  the  remarkable  growth  of  the 
medical  department.  As  the  school  had  been  grad¬ 
ually  and  consistently  developing  into  a  college  under 


92 


Yale  in  China 


the  wise  guidance  of  Dean  Gage  so  the  hospital  and 
dispensary  had  again  and  again  burst  their  bounds 
under  the  unquenchable  enthusiasm  of  Dr.  Hume. 

The  beginnings  were  modest  and  meagre.  A  letter 
from  the  faculty  dated  at  Changsha,  April  5,  1907, 
announced  “A  dispensary  and  small  hospital  will  be 
opened  this  spring  by  the  Medical  Department  of  the 
Mission,  to  prepare  the  way  for  a  medical  school.” 
A  building  located  across  the  street  from  the  school 
was  leased  for  six  years  at  a  rent  of  eighteen  dollars 
per  month.  This  was  remodelled  to  contain  a  dis¬ 
pensary,  eight  beds  for  the  more  serious  cases,  sleep¬ 
ing  rooms  for  the  staff,  a  room  for  classes  in  medicine 
and  facilities  for  both  medical  and  surgical  treatment. 
During  the  first,  seven  months,  from  September  1, 
1907  to  March  31,  1908,  1229  patients  were  seen  at 
the  dispensary,  40  in-patients  were  treated  in  the 
hospital  wards  and  283  out-patients  were  seen  mostly 
at  their  own  residences.  The  degree  of  confidence 
shown  by  the  natives,  especially  in  their  willingness 
to  be  operated  upon,  was  amazing.  Officials  advised 
great  caution  in  receiving  very  ill  patients  and  subjects 
for  operation  lest  disturbances  might  be  aroused 
against  foreigners,  yet  in  these  first  months  ten  opera¬ 
tions  were  performed  under  general  anesthesia,  twenty- 
four  under  local  anesthesia  and  fourteen  without  anes¬ 
thesia.  Such  results  indicate  an  opening  of  the  eyes 
of  the  understanding  on  the  part  of  the  Chinese  to 
the  quackery  of  native  doctors.  They  have  never, 
apparently,  studied  anatomy  scientifically,  know  little 
of  the  reasons  for  actions  and  counteractions,  have  very 
little  knowledge  of  surgery,  and,  as  a  rule,  cannot 


Yale  in  China 


93 


set  a  bone.  Men  whose  limbs  could  be  easily  healed 
may  be  seen  on  the  streets  of  Chinese  cities  as 
permanent  cripples.  Many  of  them  have  probably 
received  from  the  native  doctor  plasters,  or  even  medi¬ 
cines  to  take  internally,  for  their  broken  bones.  The 
cures  wrought  by  foreign  doctors,  for  instance  on 
paralytics  and  the  blind,  are  to  these  people  like  the 
miraculous  stories  of  the  New  Testament.  A  man  has 
been  shot  by  brigands  or  by  marauding  troops  and  is 
paralyzed  down  one  side  as  a  result.  The  foreign 
doctor  opens  his  head,  takes  out  a  little  piece  of  metal 
and  the  man  begins  at  once  to  walk  and  talk.  Or,  a 
woman  blind  from  cataract,  goes  to  the  foreign  doctor 
and  receives  her  sight. 

Important  as  this  ministry  of  healing  is,  the  Yale 
Mission  from  the  beginning  has  kept  steadily  in  view 
the  greater  need  of  medical  education.  Years  before 
the  Rockefeller  Commission  visited  China  to  investi¬ 
gate  her  medical  and  surgical  needs  and  discovered 
that  an  army  of  foreign  doctors,  even  if  available, 
could  not  solve  the  problem,  the  Yale  men  had  reached 
the  conclusion  that  the  Chinese  must  be  taught  to 
heal  themselves  by  modern  methods,  and  not  rely, 
except  for  the  present,  upon  foreign  medical  men. 
The  country  is  so  vast  and  the  need  of  medical  men 
so  extensive  that  all  the  doctors  and  surgeons  in 
America  could  be  utilized  in  China.  Such  a  great 
invasion,  or  even  enough  to  make  any  wide  impression 
is  impracticable.  The  solution  must  be  the  training 
of  Chinese  doctors.  The  American  Board  deputation 
to  China  in  1907  expressed  this  feeling  in  their  report, 
“The  great  medical  work  in  China  will  be  the  training 


94 


Yale  in  China 


of  Chinese  medical  men.”  This  has  always  been  the 
profound  conviction  of  Drs.  Hume  and  Yen,  who  have 
also  felt  just  as  strongly  that  the  scientific  minds  of 
New  China  must  be  charged  with  the  Christian  spirit. 
The  medical  work  found  favor  not  only  in  the  eyes  of 
the  people  but  also  among  the  officials,  some  of  whom 
made  generous  contributions  towards  its  extension. 
The  quarters  were  enlarged  until  they  could  be  made 
to  hold  no  more.  In  six  years  the  total  number  of 
beds  had  been  increased  to  45.  The  total  number  of 
patients  treated  in  the  hospital  wards  in  the  year  end¬ 
ing  March  1913  was  400;  while  14,639  out-patients 
were  seen,  of  whom  3,318  were  classed  as  medical,  and 
8,552  as  surgical,  cases.  In  addition,  there  were  713 
out-calls  to  the  homes  of  Chinese  and  foreigners.  In 
the  establishment  of  a  Public  Health  Bureau,  a  Red 
Cross  Society,  a  city  hospital,  the  treatment  of  opium 
patients  and  the  suppression  of  the  pneumonic  plague 
the  leadership  of  the  Yale  staff  was  eagerly  sought. 

In  the  riots  of  1910,  when  much  foreign  property 
in  Changsha  was  destroyed,  the  Yale  property  was 
defended  and  preserved  by  the  good-will  of  the  gentry 
and  the  friendliness  of  neighbors  towards  both  school 
and  hospital.*  After  the  interruption  of  work  occa- 


*  A  free  translation  of  the  poster  which  saved  the  hospital  from 
destruction  in  the  riots  of  1910  is  as  follows:  “The  Yale  Hospital  is 
truly  a  rented  building,  and  inasmuch  as  at  this  crisis  they  have 
abandoned  it,  the  residents  of  these  streets  have  sealed  it  to  keep 
it  from  harm.  To  relieve  the  needs  of  the  poor,  a  fund  for  purchasing 
rice  has  been  started  which  will  amount  to  one  hundred  thousand,  and 
all  are  gladly  contributing.  Having  given  you  notice  of  this  in,  advance, 
under  no  circumstances  must  you  injure  the  property. 

The  Residents  of 
Yoh  Wang  Street, 
Hsi  P’ai  Lou” 


Yale  in  China 


95 


sioned  by  the  riots,  as  also  after  the  revolution,  the 
opportunities  for  advance  were  unprecedented.  A 
more  friendly  feeling  on  the  part  of  officials  made 
possible  the  purchase  of  a  much-desired  plot  for  build¬ 
ing  in  a  suitable  locality,  and  a  scheme  for  cooperation 
with  the  Government  in  medical  education,  conceived 
by  Dr.  Yen,  and  endorsed  by  the  Governor,  was,  after 
Dr.  Hume’s  return  from  America,  furthered  by  the 
latter  with  his  contagious  enthusiasm.  Such  an 
unheard-of  proposition  brought  great  encouragement 
to  the  supporters  of  the  Yale  work  at  home  and 
abroad.  The  third  Hunan  Missionary  Conference 
meeting  at  Changsha,  June  24  to  27,  1913,  resolved 
that : 

We  recognize  God’s  leading  in  the  friendly  approach  of 
the  Hunan  Government  to  a  missionary  society  requesting 
cooperation  in  medical  education  without  religious  restriction 
and  believe  that  such  a  cooperative  endeavor  would  offer  an 
unprecedented  opportunity  for  exerting  Christian  influence 
upon  the  rising  generation  of  doctors. 

They  recommended  that  societies  working  in  the  prov¬ 
inces  cooperate  in  order  to  make  it  an  efficient  union 
enterprise,  that  a  cablegram  be  sent  to  the  Executive 
Committee  in  New  Haven,  ‘'urging  a  favorable  reply 
to  the  request  of  the  Government  for  their  cooperation 
in  medical  education,”  and  that  a  letter  be  written 
from  the  conference  to  the  Governor  “expressing 
satisfaction  at  his  proposal  that  Chinese  and  for¬ 
eigners  work  together  in  this  important  department 
of  educational  endeavor.”  The  Chinese  proposed  to 
furnish  land  for  the  erection  of  medical  school  build¬ 
ings  and  to  provide  the  funds  for  current  expenses, 
except  the  salaries  of  the  foreign  staff,  and  a  Yale 


9<5 


Yale  in  China 


graduate  who  had  previously  offered  $12,500  for  a 
hospital  building  increased  his  offer  to  $150, 000. *f 
The  development  of  the  building  program  and  the 
conception  of  necessary  outlay  have  been  considerably 
altered  by  the  increased  cost  of  materials  and  labor 
and  economic  and  social  factors  involved  in  the  unfor- 
seen  and  rapid  changes  in  the  New  China.  In  a  circu¬ 
lar  issued  by  the  Executive  Committee  in  1904  it  was 
announced  that  the  fund,  originally  about  $25,000, 
entrusted  to  the  Society  by  the  British  Government, 
“makes  possible  the  erection  of  a  recitation  and  faculty 


*  The  China  Medical  Board  of  the  Rockefeller  Foundation  voted  in 
1915  an  annual  subvention  of  $16,200  for  five  years  to  be  used  in 
engaging  certain  members  of  the  faculty  of  the  Medical  School.  A 
number  of  these  appointments  have  already  been  made.  It  is  important 
for  Yale  givers  to  this  work  to  understand  that  this  aid  is  exclusively 
for  medical  work  and  new  work;  and  is  conditioned  on  sustained 
support  by  the  Yale  constituency  (July,  1916). 

f  Under  the  Siangya  Agreement  (ratified  by  the  Governor  of  Hunan 
province  May  15,  1914)  between  the  Hunan  Ru-Chun  Educational 
Association  and  the  Yale  Mission,  it  was  provided  that  a  Hospital  and 
one  or  more  dispensaries,  a  Medical  School  to  conform  to  the  regula¬ 
tions  of  the  Board  of  Education,  a  School  of  Nursing  and  a  Depart¬ 
ment  of  Obstetrics,  and  a  Laboratory  shall  be  operated  under  joint 
supervision.  The  native  Educational  Association  (made  up  of  gentry 
and  literati)  agrees  to  erect  a  Medical  School  building  and  a  Nurses* 
building  at  a  total  cost  of  about  $156,000  Mexican  with  the  alternative 
of  substitution  of  native  official  buildings;  also  to  meet  annual  running 
expenses  but  not  to  exceed  $50,000  Mexican.  The  Mission  agrees  to 
provide  the  Hospital  and  salaries  of  Western  graduated  medical  teachers, 
physicians  and  nurses.  The  Board  of  Managers  includes  ten  Chinese 
and  ten  Yale  Mission  representatives.  “Since  physicians  have  a  very 
intimate  relationship  with  society,  the  teachers  engaged  shall  in  addition 
to  giving  instruction  in  the  principles  of  medicine  lay  stress  on  moral 
character.  Moreover  they  may  outside  of  the  required  curriculum 
explain  and  lecture  on  the  principles  of  religion.  But  respect  shall  be 
paid  to  everyone’s  individuality  of  belief.”  The  agreement  is  for  ten 
years.  Provision  was  made  for  preliminary  financing  until  the  opening 
of  the  new  Hospital  (about  March,  1917)  and  of  the  Medical  School 
(Fall  of  1916)  and  it  is  gratifying  to  report  that  the  Chinese  paid  in 
$30,000  in  1914-15  and  $25,000  in  1915-16  as  they  pledged. 


Yale  in  China 


97 


hall  and  a  dormitory,”  and  “a  fully  equipped  hospital 
can  be  erected  for  ten  thousand  dollars.”  Another 
circular  issued  in  1909  pushes  up  the  figures ; 

The  Executive  Committee  is  greatly  desirous  of  securing 
$12,000  for  a  hospital  and  instructional  building  for  the  medi¬ 
cal  department  and  also  $9,000  for  three  residences  for  pro¬ 
fessors.  If  to  these  sums  $4,000  could  be  added  making  a 
round  $25,000  we  should  be  fully  equipped  with  apparatus 
and  be  able  to  build  walls  about  the  campus  and  do  some 
necessary  grading. 

In  1911,  through  the  help  of  Dr.  Yen,  a  tract  of  nearly 
twenty  acres  was  acquired  about  half  a  mile  from  the 
North  gate  of  the  city,  near  the  new  railway  station  on 
the  line  between  Hankow  and  Canton.  This  new 
campus  was  purchased  for  about  $19,500  from  the 
Chen  Chou  Fund.  The  chairman  of  the  Executive 
Committee  wrote  of  the  larger  plans  entertained  at 
this  time: 

Plans  are  prepared  for  a  dormitory,  lecture-hall,  library, 
refectory,  hospital  and  five  faculty  residences,  some  few  of 
which  are  already  promised  either  wholly  or  in  part.  Without  • 
an  expenditure  of  about  $75,000  on  the  college  buildings,  and 
as  much  more  on  the  hospital  and  its  laboratories,  it  will  be 
practically  impossible  to  leave  the  present  buildings,  and 
consequently  to  grow  in  the  least  particular. 

The  architects,  Murphy  and  Dana  of  New  York,  who 
gave  their  services  to  the  Society  without  profit  over 
expenses,  worked  out  a  plan  of  buildings  placed  around 
a  series  of  quadrangular  courts,  adapting  the  Chinese 
style  of  architecture  to  modern  uses  in  a  way  which 
won  approbation  at  home  and  abroad.  In  1913,  the 
Committee  was  able  to  announce  the  gift  of  a  hospital 
to  contain  one  hundred  beds  and  provision  for  labora¬ 
tory  work,  and  so  constructed  as  to  provide  for  future 


98 


Yale  in  China 


enlargement;  $10,000  from  Miss  Olivia  Phelps  Stokes 
for  a  chapel  to  be  named  the  Atterbury  Memorial 
Chapel;  three  faculty  houses  at  $3,500  each,  later 
increased  to  four  at  $4,500  each,  including  one  provided 
in  part  by  the  Blodget  Fund;  about  $10,000  subscribed 
towards  a  library  in  memory  of  Warren  Seabury,  and 
$18,000  promised  towards  a  dormitory  building.  It 
was  estimated  that  $25,000  more  would  be  required 
to  provide  the  minimum  plant  to  enable  the  mission 
to  move  from  its  crowded  and  unwholesome  quarters 
to  the  open  country.  In  addition  to  the  property  and 
funds  enumerated,  the  Society  owns  two  bungalows 
and  lots  at  Ruling  among  the  hills  on  the  Yangtse  to 
which  the  faculty  and  their  families  repair  during  the 
intense  heat  of  the  summer.  One  of  these  cottages 
was  purchased  with  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  to  the 
American  Board  of  the  house  bought  for  Mr. 
Thurston  at  Peking,  and  the  others  by  specially  pro¬ 
vided  funds. 

A  decisive  step  in  the  building  campaign  was  taken 
in  1913  by  the  employment  of  Mr.  Stanley  Wilson  of 
New  York  as  supervising  architect  in  charge  of  con¬ 
struction,  and  of  Mr.  George  W.  Shipway,  an  engineer 
living  in  China,  to  initiate  building  operations.  Mr. 
Wilson  arrived  at  Changsha  in  December,  1913,  and 
the  first  sod  in  excavating  for  the  new  dormitory  was 
turned  on  February  28,  1914,  by  Dean  Gage.  An 
interesting  sidelight  on  the  difficulties  to  be  overcome 
in  working  on  a  plot  encumbered  with  rice  ponds  and 
graves,  and  the  spirit  with  which  the  builder  under¬ 
took  his  task,  is  contained  in  the  following  extract  of 
a  letter  from  Mr.  Wilson: 


Yale  in  China 


99 


Contracting  for  work  here  is  a  slow  process,  especially  in 
our  case  because  we  are  asking  the  builders  to  estimate  on 
kinds  of  work  they  never  have  done,  so  that  it  takes  con¬ 
siderable  explaining  before  they  understand  what  is  wanted. 
In  the  store  yard  adjoining  the  office  on  the  property  we 
have  several  hundred  cubic  yards  of  broken  stone  and  over 
100,000  brick.  The  stone  is  all  handbroken  chiefly  by  famine 
refugees  who  work  for  three  hundred  cash  a  day.  A  cash  is 
about  one-twentieth  of  a  cent,  gold.  The  bricks  are  made  ten 
miles  south  of  the  city  and  are  brought  down  the  river  in 
junks  and  carried  by  coolies  to  the  site  half  a  mile  from  the 
river.  Owing  to  the  expense  of  native  lumber  we  find  it 
cheaper  to  use  Oregon  pine,  300,000  feet  of  which  we  are 
expecting  in  June.  All  supplies  for  plumbing,  heating  and 
electric  work,  as  well  as  the  hardware,  must  come  from  home. 
We  are  exciting  great  interest  among  the  more  progressive  of 
the  contractors  by  our  methods  of  doing  things,  the  result 
of  which,  we  hope,  will  be  of  lasting  good  to  the  people  at 
large,  as  they  will  benefit  by  having  their  houses  built  in  a 
more  substantial  and  modern  way. 

The  continuance  and  enlargement  of  this  enterprise 
so  auspiciously  launched  in  faith  and  prayer  depends 
upon  the  immediate  provision  of  adequate  resources. 
It  will  require  faith  and  works — energetic  works — to 
keep  out  of  debt  and  to  maintain  and  increase  what 
has  been  established  through  the  efforts  of  the  Execu¬ 
tive  Committee.  This  committee  of  nine  men,  seven 
of  whom  are  members  of  the  faculty  or  officers  of 
the  University,  have  generously  cooperated  in  the  pro¬ 
visions  of  ways  and  means.  They  have  employed  a 
secretary-treasurer  on  full  time,  and  members  of  the 
staff  on  furlough  have  given  their  aid,  the  campaign 
of  Dr.  Hume  during  his  first  furlough  yielding  large 
results.  The  money  required  for  building  and  the 


IOO 


Yale  in  China 


increase  for  current  expenses  occasioned  by  the  extra¬ 
ordinary  growth  of  the  work,  call  for  the  raising  of 
an  endowment,  and  this  may  require  the  employment  of 
a  Field  Agent  who  shall  devote  all  his  efforts  to  the 
cause.  The  Executive  Committee  discharges  in  gen¬ 
eral  the  responsibilities  of  a  Foreign  Mission  Board, 
selecting  and  commissioning  missionaries,  conducting 
the  active  management  of  the  Society  and  preparing 
and  securing  the  budget.  In  the  first  year,  1902-03, 
an  initial  fund  of  $12,225  was  raised,  including  a  loan 
of  $5,000,  and  $915  in  annual  subscriptions.  This  fund 
was  spent  largely  in  sending  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thurston 
to  China  and  in  purchasing  the  residence  for  them 
at  Peking.  The  budget  this  year  calls  for  $29,000. 

The  salaries  of  married  men  are  fixed  at  $1,200  each, 
and  of  the  unmarried  men  and  nurses  at  $800  each. 
Allowances  for  children  are  at  the  rate  of  $100  per 
year  for  each  child  under  seven  years  of  age  and  $200 
for  each  child  between  seven  and  fourteen.  An 
allowance  of  $300  per  year  is  also  promised  for  each 
unmarried  child  between  fourteen  and  twenty-one  but 
the  Society  is  not  obligated  beyond  a  maximum  allow¬ 
ance  of  $1,000  per  annum  for  the  children  of  one 
family.  Insurance  is  also  granted  to  insurable  mem¬ 
bers,  the  standard  being  an  annual  premium  on  $10,000 
straight  life  insurance  in  the  case  of  a  normal  risk  of 
twenty-five  years  of  age.  Summer  allowances  are 
added  for  travel  to  and  from  Ruling,  at  the  rate  of 
$75  per  annum  for  each  family  and  $30  per  annum 
for  each  unmarried  missionary.  Traveling  expenses 
are  at  the  rate  of  $325  for  each  adult  going  to  or  from 
the  field.  Outfit  allowances  provide  $500  for  each 
family,  or  $250  for  each  unmarried  missionary  on  the 


Yale  in  China 


IOI 


first  journey  to  the  field,  or  $250  when  needed  for 
refitting  at  the  end  of  the  first  furlough.  Two  men 
are  secured  if  possible  each  year  without  salary, 
whose  allowance  for  board  is  $513,  and  the  allowance 
from  New  Haven  for  general  expenses  of  school  and 
hospital,  including  rents,  repairs,  salaries  of  personal 
language  teachers  and  Chinese  faculty  is  about  $6,000. 
This  budget  is  paid  quarterly  in  advance  from  New 
Haven  and  is  contributed  in  large  part  by  Yale  alumni 
in  annual  and  occasional  subscriptions  ranging  from 
$1  to  $200.*  The  undergraduates,  through  the  Chris¬ 
tian  Association,  contribute  from  $1,200  to  $1,500  per 
year.  Efforts  have  been  made  from  the  beginning 
to  secure  the  support  of  each  missionary  among  his 
classmates.  While  the  proposition  has  merit  and  a  con¬ 
siderable  amount  has  been  raised  in  this  way,  no  single 
salary  group  has  been  completed,  and  it  has  not  been 
found  practicable  to  rely  upon  the  plan.  The  only  royal 
road  to  successful  money-raising  seems  to  be  the 
ordinary  method  of  getting  all  the  solicitor  can  on 
the  strength  of  any  interest  or  connection  which  can 
be  presented.  The  Society  cannot  appeal  to  churches 
which  have  their  own  missionary  agencies  to  care  for, 
and  must  therefore  rely  chiefly  upon  the  Yale  brother¬ 
hood.  The  amount  required  to  meet  the  budget  does 
not  come  easily  and,  making  due  allowance  for  grow¬ 
ing  income  on  the  field,  it  will  increase  with  the 
demand  for  more  teachers  and  doctors  and  ordinary 
expenses  occasioned  by  the  new  buildings.  In  addi¬ 
tion  to  what  can  be  secured  by  annual  pledges  and 
occasional  gifts  every  effort  must  now  be  made  to 
interest  wealthy  Yale  men  in  providing  the  endowment 


*  The  total  number  of  subscribers  in  1914  was  about  900. 


102 


Yale  in  China 


which  alone  can  place  the  business  on  a  substantial 
basis.  Several  welcome  bequests  have  already  been 
received  by  the  Society,  and  it  is  known  that  others 
are  contemplated,  but  the  time  of  receiving  these  is 
uncertain  and  the  present  need  is  urgent. 

Meanwhile,  other  funds  must  also  be  cared  for. 
The  Administration  Fund,  started  by  the  Treasurer 
in  1908,  is  an  accumulation  of  gifts  by  friends,  several 
of  whom  are  not  Yale  graduates,  for  the  expenses  of 
the  home  office.  This  fund  has  covered  heating  and 
lighting  of  the  office,  printing,  stationery,  typewriting, 
postage,  cables,  and  most  of  the  salary  of  the  Secretary. 
This  arrangement  which  appeals  to  some  who  are  inter¬ 
ested  in  the  executive  officer  and  his  work,  and  who 
would  not  otherwise  contribute,  enables  the  Society  to 
send  the  contributions  of  Yale  men  to  China  without 
reduction.  In  1905  the  home  office  was  established  in 
comfortable  and  convenient  quarters  on  the  college 
campus  at  233  Durfee  Hall  without  expense  to  the 
Society,  largely  through  the  efforts  of  Mr.  Arthur  C. 
Williams  ’98.*  Mr.  Williams,  who  was  prevented  from 
carrying  out  his  desire  to  spend  his  life  on  the  for¬ 
eign  field,  had  spent  himself  unselfishly  at  home  as  a 
member  of  the  Executive  Committee  from  its  incep¬ 
tion  and  was  its  first  assistant-treasurer.  The  head¬ 
quarters  are  not  only  the  office  of  a  working 
organization  but  a  center  where  students  and  visitors 
are  received  and  introduced  to  the  visible  memorials  of 
its  activities.  They  also  serve  as  a  meeting-place  for 
the  Chinese  students  of  the  University. 

*  The  preliminary  meetings  of  the  Executive  Committee  were  held 
in  Dwight  Hall  until  the  formal  incorporation  took  place  at  the  home 
of  Secretary  Stokes,  73  Elm  St.  Here  the  regular  meetings  of  the 
Executive  Committee  were  held  for  a  year  or  two  prior  to  the  securing 
of  quarters  in  Durfee. 


Yale  in  China 


103 


With  the  coming  of  Dean  Jones  and  the  new  plan  of 
grouping  college  classes  in  adjacent  dormitories  the 
rooms  in  Durfee  were  required  by  the  college  authori¬ 
ties,  who  offered  the  present  commodious  offices  at  5 
White  Hall.  The  Blodget  Fund,  a  gift  of  $2,000  from 
the  class  of  1848  towards  the  building  of  a  Faculty 
house,  in  memory  of  Dr.  Henry  Blodget  ’48,  amount¬ 
ing  to  $2,882.08  in  1914,  was  raised  to  the  necessary 
$4,500  by  the  generous  gift  of  Mrs.  M.  W.  R.  Wayland. 
The  Hoppin  Fund,  originally  $1,456.88  from  the  estate 
of  the  Rev.  J.  M.  Floppin  ’40,  increased  by  interest 
in  1914  to  $1,866.07,  has  been  designated  for  the  pur¬ 
chase  of  a  bungalow  at  the  summer  resort  in  Ruling. 
These  two  funds  (Blodget  and  Hoppin)  which  have 
been  maintained  separately  now  fall  naturally  under  the 
Building  and  Land  Fund,  Mr.  Thatcher  M.-  Brown 
’97,  Treasurer.  This  Building  and  Land  Fund,  opened 
by  the  Treasurer  of  the  Society  with  sundry  specified 
gifts  in  1910-11,  amounted  in  1916  to  $123,500  paid 
in,  and  several  unpaid  pledges.  To  carry  out  the 
present  building  program  for  which  plans  have  been 
completed  to  include  a  dormitory  for  130  students  and 
two  instructors,  a  lecture  hall,  a  chapel,  a  library,  four 
houses  for  married  professors,  a  hospital,  a  sewage 
system,  an  electric  lighting  plant  and  pumping  station, 
a  central  well  for  water  supply,  a  brick  wall  around 
the  property  for  privacy  and  protection,  about  $70,000 
must  be  secured  additional  to  the  funds  mentioned. 
To  these,  in  the  not-distant  future,  must  be  added  dor¬ 
mitories  and  lecture  halls  to  accommodate  not  less  than 
500  students,  a  dining  hall,  an  administration  build¬ 
ing,  additional  faculty  houses  and  a  gymnasium  with 
athletic  field.  Two  other  specified  funds  are  sepa- 


io4 


Yale  in  China 


rately  maintained,  the  Joy  Bed  Fund,  a  gift  of  $1,000 
from  Mrs.  James  Joy,  in  memory  of  her  husband, 
James  Joy,  ’69,  the  interest  of  which  goes  towards  the 
support  of  a  bed  in  the  hospital ;  and  W.  J.  Hail  Insur¬ 
ance  Fund,  a  gift  of  $1,500,  the  interest  on  which,  in 
addition  to  $200  per  annum  set  aside  by  the  Executive 
Committee,  is  accumulating  as  insurance  for  Mr.  Hail. 
The  Yale  in  China  Woman’s  League,  organized  in 
1911-12  largely  through  the  efforts  of  Mrs.  Edward 
H.  Hume  and  Mrs.  Edward  B.  Reed,  raised  the  funds 
in  1915-16  for  two  American  trained  nurses,  a  woman 
physician,  one  Chinese  district  nurse  and  three  free 
beds  in  the  hospital. 

The  property  and  funds  accumulated  or  expended 
in  the  first  twelve  years  of  its  existence  by  this  purely 
voluntary  association  of  Yale  men  represent  an  altru¬ 
istic  out-reaching  of  that  energy  known  as  the  “Yale 
Spirit”  which  is  encouraging  and  prophetic.  The 
assets  of  the  Society  in  1916  may  be  stated  roughly 
as  follows: — 

Land  and  buildings  in  Changsha . $120,000 

Land  and  buildings  in  Ruling .  3, 500 

Balance  in  all  funds  and  pledges . .  11,000 


Total  . . . 

Total  which  may  be  added,  for  hospital 
and  other  buildings  . 


$134,500 


$200,000 


The  administrative  machinery  of  the  Society  was 
admirably  designed.  The  membership  consists  of  all 
graduates  and  undergraduates  of  Yale  University  who 
have  contributed  during  the  year  to  its  work  whether 
by  funds  or  services.  These  members  elect  half  of  a 
Council  of  forty  members  in  groups  of  five  annually, 


Yale  in  China 


105 

each  group  serving  four  years,  the  remainder  being 
a  permanent  body  including  officers  of  the  University, 
faculty  members  and  alumni  residing  in  New  Haven. 
Thus  representation  and  advice  from  alumni  in  all 
parts  of  the  country  and  from  different  college  gen¬ 
erations  was  provided  for.  The  Council  has  final 
decision  in  all  matters  of  large  import  pertaining  to 
the  Society.  Recognizing  the  historical  connection  of 
Yale  with  the  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for 
Foreign  Missions,  and  the  advantages  to  be  obtained 
through  association  with  a  well-established,  thor¬ 
oughly-equipped  and  trusted  missionary  organization, 
the  Society  elects  to  its  Council  three  members  of 
the  Prudential  Committee  of  the  American  Board. 
The  Board  on  its  part  gives  to  the  Society  its  moral 
support  and  good  offices,  and  places  at  the  disposal 
of  the  Mission  its  agencies  for  the  purchase  and  for¬ 
warding  of  supplies  and  funds.*  The  Council  com¬ 
mits  the  active  management  of  the  affairs  of  the 
Society  to  an  Executive  Committee  of  nine  members, 


*  The  following  is  the  basis  of  the  relationship  of  the  Mission  to  the 
American  Board,  as  set  forth  in  the  constitution.  As  there  agreed, 
the  Yale  Mission  “affirms  its  earnest  desire  to  labor  in  harmony  with 
the  Board,”  elects  the  President  and  two  members  of  the  Board  as 
members  of  its  council,  and  sends  it  a  copy  of  its  yearly  report.  On 
its  part  the  American  Board: 

“1.  Gives  its  hearty  support  to  the  Yale  Mission,  recognizing  it  as 
an  undenominational  missionary  movement,  independent  of  any  exist¬ 
ing  board,  but  acknowledging  a  connection  with  the  American  Board, 
as  provided  above. 

“2.  Places  at  the  disposal  of  the  Yale  Mission  its  agencies  for  the 
purchase  and  distribution  of  missionary  supplies  and  the  forwarding 
of  funds. 

“3.  Will  give  to  the  Yale  Mission,  in  case  of  any  important  difficulty 
arising  with  native  governments  or  people,  the  same  moral  support  and 
good  offices  with  the  home  government,  if  necessary,  as  would  be 
brought  to  bear  in  the  case  of  one  of  its  own  missions  under  similar 
circumstances.” 


io6 


Yale  in  China 


men  of  different  denominations,  clergymen  and  lay¬ 
men,  selected  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Society  and 
Council  held  on  the  evening  of  Baccalaureate  Sunday. 
As  a  matter  of  fact  the  Executive  Committee  does  the 
work  and  accepts  the  responsibility  for  its  acts.  The 
meetings  of  the  Council  are  formal  and  it  would  be 
difficult  at  any  time  to  assemble  a  majority  of  its 
members  to  discharge  its  constitutional  functions.* 

As  the  Society  has  been  fortunate  in  enlisting 
the  services  of  a  staff  characterized  by  high  scholar¬ 
ship,  sound  judgment,  splendid  enthusiasm  and  con¬ 
secrated  character,  it  has  likewise  been  blest  in  the 
quality  of  its  leadership  at  home.  The  first  two  presi¬ 
dents  were,  Dr.  Timothy  Dwight,  ’49,  1903-04,  the 
revered  ex-president  of  the  University,  and  Professor 
Henry  P.  Wright,  ’68,  1904-06,  for  twenty-five  years 
beloved  dean  of  the  College.  The  present  president  is 
Mr.  Clarence  H.  Kelsey,  ’78,  one  of  New  York’s  lead¬ 
ing  business  men  and  a  member  of  the  Yale  Corpora¬ 
tion.  The  vice-presidents  have  been  the  Right  Rev. 
Edwin  S.  Lines,  ’72,  1902-09,  Protestant  Episcopal 
Bishop  of  Newark,  Mr.  Amos  P.  Wilder,  ’84,  U.  S. 
Consul  General  at  Hong  Kong  and  later  at  Shanghai, 
appointed  Executive  Secretary  since  his  return  to 
America,  and  Mr.  Ye-tsung  Tsur,  a  graduate  of  Yale 
in  1909  and  at  present  President  of  the  Tsing  Hua 
College  in  Peking.  The  first  recording  secretary  was 
Mr.  William  Sloane,  ’95,  1902-10,  chairman  of  the 
Advisory  Board  of  the  University  Christian  Associa¬ 
tion,  followed  by  Professor  Henry  B.  Wright,  ’98, 

*  At  the  annual  meeting  held  at  Commencement  1916,  constitutional 
changes  were  effected  which  substitute  for  the  old  Executive  Committee 
a  Board  of  Trustees  of  fifteen  members  ultimately  to  be  chosen  in  three 
classes  of  five  years’  term  each. 


Yale  in  China 


107 

1910-12,  the  acknowledged  leader  of  undergraduate 
religious  activities,  and  Dr.  George  Blumer,  ’07  Hon., 
Dean  of  the  Yale  Medical  School.  Mr.  Pierce  N. 
Welch,  ’62,  president  of  the  First  National  Bank,  New 
Haven,  and  benefactor  of  Yale,  served  as  treasurer 
until  his  death  in  1909,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Mr. 
William  H.  Sallmon,  ’94,  assistant  treasurer,  who 
served  as  Treasurer  and  Executive  Secretary  until  he 
suffered  a  breakdown  in  1914.  Mr.  James  W.  Wil¬ 
liams,  ’08,  assistant  treasurer,  who  had  been  assigned 
to  field  work,  was  then  called  in  to  take  up  temporarily 
the  duties  of  treasurer  and  executive  secretary  until 
the  arrival  of  Mr.  Wilder  in  September  1914. 

The  Executive  Committee  has  had  from  the  first  an 
able,  wise  and  devoted  chairman  in  Professor  F.  Wells 
Williams,  ’79,  and  he  is  supported  by  Professor 
Harlan  P.  Beach,  *78,  professor  of  the  Theory  and 
Practice  of  Missions,  the  best-known  missionary  author 
and  editor  in  America ;  Professor  Williston  Walker, 
’01  Hon.,  a  member  of  the  American  Board;  the  Rev. 
Anson  Phelps  Stokes,  ’96,  secretary  of  the  University; 
Professors  Lester  P.  Breckenridge,  ’81  S.,  George 
Blumer,  ’07  Hon.,  Dr.  J.  C.  Greenway,  ’00,  Professor 
Edward  B.  Reed,  ’94,  and  Messrs.  Samuel  Thorne,  Jr., 
’96,  and  Arthur  C.  Williams,  ’98.  Three  of  the  mem¬ 
bers  who  have  served  during  the  formative  period  of 
the  mission’s  affairs,  Messrs.  Beach,  Williams  and 
Sallmon,  have  visited  Changsha  and  have  consequently 
had  personal  knowledge  of  the  exact  situation  and 
needs,  while  two  others  have  been  in  China.  Men  who 
rendered  acceptable  service  on  the  committee  in  the 
earlier  years  were:  Dean  Henry  P.  Wright,  ’68,  Pro¬ 
fessor  Frank  K.  Sanders,  ’89  Hon.,  formerly  dean 


io8 


Yale  in  China 


of  the  Yale  Divinity  School,  and  Mr.  Lewis  S.  Welch, 
’89,  former  editor  of  the  Yale  Alumni  Weekly.  The 
office  of  assistant  secretary,  now  assigned  to  the  Uni¬ 
versity  secretary  of  the  Yale  Christian  Association, 
was  formerly  filled  by  Mr.  Arthur  C.  Williams,  ’98, 
the  Rev.  D.  Brewer  Eddy,  ’98,  and  Mr.  William  H. 
Sallmon,  ’94.  There  was  added  to  the  Committee  in 
1914,  Mr.  H.  Harold  Vreeland,  Jr.,  T2  S.,  former 
secretary  of  the  Sheffield  Christian  Association  and 
now  Registrar  of  the  Sheffield  Scientific  School.  Two 
officers  of  the  Society  who  have  rendered  valuable 
gratuitous  service  from  the  beginning  are  Mr.  Eli 
Whitney,  ’69,  who  has  audited  the  accounts,  and  Dr. 
Walter  B.  James,  ’79,  who  has  acted  as  medical 
examiner  of  candidates.  The  administrative  work  of 
the  home  office  has  been  cared  for  by  men  who  already 
had  their  hands  full,  Messrs.  A.  C.  Williams,  D.  B. 
Eddy,  E.  B.  Reed  and  W.  H.  Sallmon.  In  1912-13 
the  experiment  was  tried  of  appointing  a  Field  Sec¬ 
retary  with  an  office  in  New  York  to  give  his  whole 
time  to  the  stimulating  of  intelligent  interest  among 
the  alumni  and  to  the  raising  of  funds  for  the  budget 
of  current  expenses  and  for  building.  An  office 
was  secured  in  the  Presbyterian  Building,  156  Fifth 
Avenue,  and  Mr.  Howard  Richards,  Jr.,  ’oo  S.,  was 
appointed  with  the  title  of  Associate  Secretary  to 
work  under  the  direction  of  the  Finance  Committee 
consisting  at  that  time  of  Messrs.  Kelsey,  Sallmon 
and  Thorne.  Professor  Beach  conducted  the  cor¬ 
respondence  with  Changsha  as  general  secretary  until, 
by  constitutional  change,  that  office  was  abolished,  and 
the  duties  committed  to  the  Executive  secretary. 

The  burdens  of  the  executive  officer  became  so 


Yale  in  China 


109 


onerous  that,  when  Mr.  Sallmon  was  obliged  to  give 
up  his  work,  it  was  realized  that  the  time  had  come 
in  the  development  of  the  enterprise  when  a  leader 
must  be  found  whose  energies  should  be  devoted 
solely  to  the  cause.  It  seemed  providential  that  Mr. 
Amos  P.  Wilder,  ’84,  former  U.  S.  Consul  General  in 
China,  should  be  available.  He  is  a  man  peculiarly 
fitted  by  temperament,  training  and  ability  to  add  to  the 
reputation  and  usefulness  of  the  work.  He  knows 
China  and  the  Chinese  because  of  his  residence  at  Hong 
Kong  and  Shanghai,  and  a  visit  to  Changsha  in  1908 
made  him  an  instant  champion  of  Yale’s  chosen  field 
and  endeavor.  In  view  of  his  appointment  to  manage 
the  affairs  of  the  Society,  it  is  interesting  to  recall 
his  impressions  of  the  city,  the  faculty  and  students 
and  the  opportunities  presented  as  published  in  the 
Yale  Alumni  Weekly: 

Changsha  itself  is  a  city  of  wealth,  of  political  importance, 
it  is  the  abode  of  many  retired  officials,  its  government  schools 
are  of  high  native  standard;  it  is  styled  “the  cleanest  city 
in  China.”  It  is  a  field  where  a  hearing  is  most  needed  but 
only  America’s  best  can  secure  it.  Each  teacher  at  Changsha 
has  a  history  of  quality  ...  no  ordinary  men  are  sent  out. 
Their  stories  are  found  in  the  records  of  scholarship,  ath¬ 
letics,  and  literature,  in  the  honors  of  professional  schools 
and  in  the  hearts  of  classmates.  We  visited  the  classrooms. 
I  even  made  a  few  remarks  to  the  young  men.  The  Hunan 
youth  are  not  so  finished  in  appearance  as  the  Cantonese, 
where  for  a  century  foreign  contact  has  burnished  them. 
But  there  is  something  leonine  about  them — a  strong  sug¬ 
gestion  of  silent  power.  A  university  is  being  built  up  that 
shall  offer  the  highest  form  of  training  to  young  men.  It  is 
a  Christian  institution  but  broadly  so.  In  China,  many  an 
American,  for  the  first  time,  realizes  what  a  full  program 
Christianity  proposes — much  more  than  an  election  of  one 
of  two  permanent  abodes.  It  is  a  promise  to  be  led  into 


I  IO 


Yale  in  China 


all  truth,  and  this  means  for  China  cleanliness,  physical  as 
well  as  moral,  common  honesty,  official  rectitude,  a  renovated 
home  life.  Money  is  needed  for  the  new  plant  and  for  gen¬ 
eral  purposes.  Men  who  know  what  a  force  in  the  Empire 
is  one  Chinese,  highly  educated  on  modern  lines,  self-respect¬ 
ing,  and  ambitious  for  his  people,  do  not  need  incitement  to 
give  to  such  a  work  as  Yale  men  are  doing  in  Hunar 

It  is  extremely  fortunate  that  such  a  man  of  broad 
Christian  sympathy  and  practical  experience  should  be 
chosen  to  rally  the  Yale  forces  and  lead  them  in  the  era 
of  expansion  now  at  hand. 

It  would  be  impossible  to  tabulate  the  influences 
set  in  motion  by  this  movement,  but  it  may,  even  at 
the  risk  of  some  repetition,  be  valuable  to  sum  up  the 
more  outstanding  results  achieved  at  home  and  abroad. 
Starting  in  1902  with  a  group  of  earnest  men  pos¬ 
sessing  faith  in  the  historic  continuity  of  the  conse¬ 
crated  Christian  spirit  of  Yale,  and  inspired  by  a 
vision  of  the  need  and  opportunity  for  service  pre¬ 
sented  in  China,  the  interest  of  an  enlarging  group 
of  leaders  has  been  enlisted,  who,  in  turn,  have 
engaged  the  services  of  a  number  of  Yale  men  of 
whom  Dean  Wright  says,  “They  rank  well  among 
the  best  men  that  Yale  has  graduated  during  the 
past  ten  years.”  The  Society  has  kept  out  of  debt, 
has  raised  a  budget  averaging  about  $20,000  per  year, 
and  has  accumulated  property  at  Changsha  and  Ruling 
which  is  constantly  increasing  in  value.  It  has  con¬ 
ducted  a  campaign  of  education  which  has  won  the 
sympathies  of  more  than  eight  hundred  alumni  who 
contribute  to  its  funds,  many  of  whom  are  not  inter¬ 
ested  in  missions  in  the  abstract ;  has  introduced  to 
the  undergraduates  a  wholesome,  altruistic  purpose 
which  has  called  forth  their  contributions  partially 


Yale  in  China 


1 1 1 


supporting  their  representatives  on  the  field,  and  an 
entire  issue  of  the  “Yale  Record ”  wholly  kindly  in 
tone!  It  has  advertised  Yale  in  a  way  to  counteract 
in  some  measure  the  heralded  misdeeds  of  individuals 
or  groups  often  magnified  and  discolored  by  yellow 
journalism.  As  the  pioneer  in  establishing  an  educa¬ 
tional  mission  in  the  Far  East,  it  has  influenced  the 
students  and  alumni  of  other  universities  in  similar 
undertakings.  Its  success  has  strengthened  the  hands 
of  the  churches  and  given  encouragement  to  all  mis¬ 
sionary  bodies  at  home.  On  its  chosen  field  in  the 
capital  of  an  anti-foreign  province  the  Mission  has 
largely  overcome  the  hostility  naturally  levelled  against 
foreigners  who  are  regarded  as  exploiters  of  mines 
and  other  natural  resources,  desecrators  of  graves, 
and  wholly  given  to  self-profit,  and  has  dissipated, 
or  even  turned  to  friendship  in  the  case  of  many 
in  high  places,  the  prejudice  which  at  first  regarded 
the  Mission  as  an  impertinent  work  of  supererogation 
or  a  disturbing  proselytizing  agency.  Governors  and 
other  officials  send  their  gifts  and  propose  cooperative 
effort,  educated  literati  send  their  sons  to  be  instructed, 
and  wealthy  gentry  assist  in  the  purchase  of  property. 
These  are  some  of  the  amazing  things  that  our  ears 
have  heard  and  our  eyes  have  seen. 

It  was  not  found  possible  “to  begin  operations  with 
a  college  of  the  thorough-going  Yale  sort  having 
preparatory  and  collegiate  courses”  as  the  founders 
proposed.  It  was  necessary  to  begin  with  such  stu¬ 
dents  as  could  be  found,  most  of  them  with  imperfect 
elementary  education,  and  take  them  up  through  the 
grammar  and  high  school  grades,  thus  laying  founda¬ 
tions  for  the  college  that  was  to  be.  The  foundations 


I  12 


Yale  in  China 


were  well  and  truly  laid.  The  first  class  to  finish 
the  five  year  course  graduated  in  1911;  in  the  three 
graduating  classes  of  1911,  1912  and  1913  there  were 
eight  students — while  Yale  college  at  home  had  only 
five  graduates  in  its  first  three  classes — and  in  1914 
the  Dean  at  Changsha  was  able  to  write  an  article 
telling  of  the  “Alumni  and  non-graduates  of  Ya-li.” 
Extra-curriculum  activities  such  as  glee  club,  literary 
society,  athletics  and  Young  Men’s  Christian  Associa¬ 
tion  have  helped  to  develop  team  work  and  a  spirit 
of  school  loyalty.  In  the  progress  towards  self- 
support  six-sevenths  (in  1913)  of  the  salaries  of  the 
Chinese  staff  and  the  running  expenses  of  the  dor¬ 
mitory  and  boarding  departments  were  met  by  income 
from  tuition.  The  hospital  has  alleviated  untold  suf¬ 
fering,  has  gained  many  and  strong  friends  and  has 
stood  in  the  community  as  a  witness  for  Christian 
charity  which  could  not  be  gainsaid.  The  medical 
department  has  instructed  the  people  in  modern 
hygiene  and  preventive  measures,  has  secured  the 
establishment  of  an  isolation  hospital,  a  tuberculosis 
sanatorium  and  a  Red  Cross  Society  and  has  been 
entrusted  with  the  supervision  of  anti-opium  treat¬ 
ment  throughout  the  province  of  Hunan,  thus 
discharging  some  of  the  functions  of  both  a  city  and 
a  state  Board  of  Health.  It  has  given  elementary 
instruction  in  medicine  and  surgery  to  a  group  of 
native  assistants,  thus  laying  the  foundations  for  the 
medical  school  and  nurses’  school,  and  has  set  unu¬ 
sually  high  standards  for  entrance  to  and  graduation 
from  these  schools.  In  conference  with  the  Chinese 
authorities  it  was  determined  that  students  should 
be  admitted  to  the  study  of  medicine  only  after  two 


Yale  in  China 


113 

years  of  collegiate  study  following  a  standard  high 
school  course,  and  five  years  of  true  medical  studies 
were  deemed  a  necessary  preliminary  to  the  medical 
degree.  At  the  entrance  examinations  in  1913,  961 
candidates  registered,  of  whom  325  were  for  the  pre¬ 
paratory  department  of  the  medical  school,  523  for 
the  school  of  male  nurses,  and  113  for  the  school  of 
female  nurses. 

The  Mission  represents  a  ministry  of  service  the 
meaning  of  which  the  conservative  Oriental  mind 
gradually  but  surely  perceives.  Already  there  are  signs 
that  the  leaven  is  slowly  permeating  and  that  the  work 
of  transformation  has  begun.  The  following  para¬ 
graph  from  the  report  of  the  Dean  in  1912  is  full  of 
significance,  encouragement  and  prophecy : 

Towards  the  close  of  the  term  we  learned  that  five  or  six 
of  the  students  have  been  greatly  moved  by  the  Christian 
message  and  are  on  the  point  of  applying  for  baptism. 
Among  the  number  are  some  of  the  best  and  most  respected 
students  in  the  school. 

The  form  in  which  the  sons  of  Yale  are  delivering  the 
message  of  light  and  truth  is  the  most  appealing  to  the 
Oriental — an  acted  parable  to  a  parable-loving  people. 
The  inner  meaning  of  the  parable,  the  spirit  of  it,  is 
succinctly  and  beautifully  expressed  in  the  following 
extract  from  a  letter  written  by  an  officer  of  the 
Mission  in  Changsha  to  a  friend  in  New  Haven: 

Christianity  is  to  me  a  spirit  rather  than  a  doctrine, — a 
spirit  toward  God  and  toward  man,  to  be  first  conceived  and 
then  gradually  lived  up  to.  And  I  look  upon  our  mission  as 
an  exemplification  or  expression  of  that  spirit.  The  classical 
expression  is  the  good  Samaritan  and  the  prodigal  son.  We 
have  found  a  neighbor  in  need,  in  sore  need  of  education, 
and  we  take  it  to  him  as  efficiently  and  scientifically  as  we 


Yale  in  China 


1 14 

can.  At  the  same  time,  we  find  him  wandering  from  his 
Father,  and  spiritually  restless  in  consequence.  So  we  tell 
him  his  Father  is  waiting  to  receive  him.  But  we  don’t  spoil 
our  deed  of  service  to  relieve  his  immediate  and  acknowl¬ 
edged  need  by  insisting  that  he  believe  our  message  about 
his  Father,  or  even  insisting  that  he  listen  to  it.  He  will 
believe  it,  in  time,  if  we  can  only  make  quite  clear  and 
manifest  the  “spirit”  towards  man.  When  he  has  understood 
and  accepted  the  half  of  Christianity  manifested  in  our  spirit 
towards  him, — our  neighbor — he  will  be  not  far  from  the 
kingdom  of  Heaven,  and  ready  to  believe  that  the  same  spirit 
can  be  manifested  toward  God,  and  that  to  so  manifest  it 
toward  God  is  to  arise  and  go  to  his  Father. 


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